Selena's Lullaby
by Almaron
Summary: Set in Ddraigtanto's "Dragons Unite" fanverse. Short fluff between two mated dragons.


In his study, Alexander sat idly tapping away at the keys on his piano. It was a unique design; tailored specifically for the large talons of an adult dragon. In his younger days, Alexander had been able to play a regular-sized piano with ease, but as he'd grown, his parents had been forced to buy an instrument with larger keys so he could continue to play. He was constantly grateful for this, as he regularly found himself returning to his chambers to play when he had little else to do - a rare occurence, these days - or needed a distraction from his work.  
He finished playing his melody - 'Fur Elise' - and leaned over to a nearby shelf to find a new tune to play, only to hear the sound of singing coming through the open door. Alexander cocked his head in confusion. Who was singing? He didn't recognise the tune, although it was quite pleasing to the ear, and it sounded like it was being sung in draconic! Alexander wasn't too familiar with the dialect, having been raised in a human community in New England, but he had been slowly making the effort of learning the language, and he recognised a few words here and there; "Jimosir" was "Hatchling", and "Wurunwa" was "Dream"...something about a sleeping hatchling?  
Curious, Alexander got to his feet and left his chambers, following the voice down the hall. A few metres away, the door to his son's playroom was ajar, and Alexander peered inside as he reached it. Inside was his mate, the Empress of Avalar, singing a lullaby over the nest that the young prince Elwynn was sleeping in. She finished her song, and nuzzled their sleeping child one last time before turning towards the door and noticing her mate.  
"Alex!" Ddraig gasped. "How...how long have you been there?"  
Alexander smiled again. "Not too long. I heard you from a few rooms over and I came to investigate." he said, getting to his feet. "I didn't know you could sing."  
Ddraig blushed. "I can't, really." she said sheepishly, looking down at her feet. "I mean, I hum to myself every now and then, but I don't-"  
"You were doing just fine, my love." Alexander said, moving over to her and nuzzling her head. "I don't believe I've heard the tune you were singing before." he added. "What's it called?"  
"Um...I'm not sure." she said, looking up at her mate. "It's just something my mother used to sing to me...I don't know if she wrote it herself, or if she heard it from her parents, but I've never met anyone else who knew the tune."  
"Nobody?" Alexander said. "Surely there must be someone in Avalar who's heard it or written it down."  
Ddraig shifted her wings in a draconic shrug. "If there is, I've never met them."  
Alexander furrowed his brow in thought. Perhaps...  
"Ddraig, could you come with me for a moment?" he said, cocking his head towards the hallway.  
"Certainly," Ddraig began, "But what for?"  
"You'll see." Alexander said, leading her back down the hall to his chambers. He closed the door behind them as they entered, and sat down at his piano once more.  
"Alex..." Ddraig said cautiously, "What are you doing?"  
"Your song; sing it to me. I'll write it out for you." he said, grabbing a sheet of manuscript paper from a nearby shelf.  
"What?" Ddraig yelped, taking a step back. "No! No, no, I can't sing, I-"  
"Ddraig, Ddraig, it's fine," Alexander said, getting back to his feet. "It's just us, my love. Nobody else."  
"But, but..." she trailed off. "Alex, I can't." she said quietly.  
"You can." he insisted. "Please, Ddraig, I know you can."  
Ddraig sighed. "I...okay, Alex."  
Alexander nuzzled her side for support, before moving back to his seat and picking up a pen in one foreclaw.  
Trembling, Ddraig took a deep breath, and began to sing her lullaby one line at a time, while Alexander transcribed the tune and the lyrics, occasionally asking his mate for help spelling a difficult word. Admittedly, his mate's singing was a bit clunky at times, and Alexander did wince once or twice as she hit a wrong note, but he was still able to guess at the correct tune. Perhaps he could help her improve with time...but that would be something for another day, he thought to himself as he added a title to the sheet music.  
"Here we are; all done!" Alexander said, getting up from his bench and bringing the finished tune over to Ddraig, who was red in the face, despite all of Alexander's kind words. "I'll be sure to send a copy to Marcus later today."  
He handed the sheet to Ddraig, who looked at the title Alexander had given the tune; 'Selena's Lullaby'.  
"Thank you, Alex." she said, nuzzling her mate.  
"Anything for you, my dear." he said, nuzzling back.


End file.
